The proposed settlement of a pair of lawsuits charging that Eastman Kodak Co. discriminated against African-American employees is now in a judge’s hands.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs this week filed a motion asking that U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman approve the settlement worked out between the company and the plaintiffs. The filing also requests a hearing on Oct. 23 for final arguments regarding fairness of the settlement.
The lawsuits — one filed in 2004 and the other in 2007 — alleged that Kodak discriminated in regards to pay, promotions, job assignments and layoffs.
According to the proposed settlement, the $21.4 million payout would be one of the largest by a U.S. company in recent years regarding race discrimination.
Payouts would generally range from $1,000 to $3,000, although a number of plaintiffs who originated the legal action would be in line for additional payments of as much as $75,000 each.
he settlement also provides that Kodak agree to a number of steps to address supposed inequities in pay and promotion decisions.
The court papers cite a number of recent race discrimination case settlements, including the September 2008 settlement of a class-action suit brought against Xerox Corp. alleging the company discriminated against its African American sales representatives. Under that settlement, plaintiffs received on average a payout of $5,348.
The Kodak settlement also hints at some infighting among people covered by the class-action lawsuits, indicating there were a few objections that Kodak did not admit to guilt in the settlement and that the size of the class and negotiated payout were inadequate.
If you or a family member has been subjected to wrongful termination or employment discrimination, then please contact the Dallas Texas Employment Discrimination Attorney Dr. Shezad Malik. For a no obligation, free case analysis, please call 817-255-4001 or Contact Me Online.